Eggs Arrived Today

[SueAndHerZoo]

Hmmmmmm..... interesting. So if the "surface area" is the key, wouldn't that mean using a 5-10 gallon tank with an airstone in it would be good, too? I can't imagine how I'd run any type of filter in a sweater box and since I'm going to be needing live mysids for probably the next 4 - 6 weeks I would imagine I need to clean the water somehow? I placed an order for another 200 a while ago and also sent Paul an e-mail asking for tips on how to keep this next batch alive longer. Wonder if I'll get the sweater box answer, too.
Sue

 

[DWhatley]

No, a 5 or 10 gallon tank has nowhere near the surface area of the "sweater box" idea. If I remember (it has been a long time), the size of the plastice container he was suggesting would be close to 2' by 3' but maybe only 8"-10" deep. If you look up raising mysis (there are a couple of references floating in the forum but I have lost them), you will discover that the major problems noted are the amount of space required which coincides with the long and low box thinking.

This part of raising them is why I have never put them in my larger tank. I would love to have four or five in the 140 but getting through the first few months is just more than I have been willing to do (so far )

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

OK, I thought the large surface area was related to a need for oxygenation and that I could substitute the surface area for an air stone. But perhaps the large surface are is so that they don't cannibalize as much. Still, I came home to find my batch dead after just a few hours... not eaten, but dead. Yes, I need to read more articles... off to search some more. The part that I struggle with is keeping the water clean in a sweater box. We're basically talking about a large flat box of stagnant water which somehow doesn't seem healthy. (shrug)
Sue

 

[tonmo]

Oops - just read this thread, and added it to the homepage slideshow, then saw this last post. Sorry you lost these! But thanks for sharing your story here for others to learn from.

 

[cuttlegirl]

Tony,

She only lost the mysids, not the utterly cute, absolutely adorable cuttlefish hatchlings...

 

[tonmo]

thanks for the clarification!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

You jinxed me, Tony.... I just lost one.

 

[tonmo]

 

[cuttlegirl]

So sorry...

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

So sorry...

Trying to stay positive, reminding myself that this is common and that I KNEW going into this that there would be heartbreak and disappointment. One is still alive (but not eating to my knowledge) and the remaining eggs still look good. There is a new shipment of live mysids coming in Tuesday or Wednesday so I've been talking to the eggs telling them NOT to hatch for another day or two.
Sue

 

[cuttlegirl]

Remember that they do not eat right away because they are still absorbing their yolk sac. there was a study that showed that cuttlefish can see prey through their eggs and more quickly recognize prey that they saw when they were in the egg. So you might want to put some precious live mysids in with the eggs.

The first few weeks can be heartbreaking and remember that not all of the babies would be surviving out in the wild. Can you imagine if every baby survived for each female that laid 200+ eggs? Well, now that I think of it, I wouldn't mind having that many cuttles in the world...

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Remember that they do not eat right away because they are still absorbing their yolk sac. there was a study that showed that cuttlefish can see prey through their eggs and more quickly recognize prey that they saw when they were in the egg. So you might want to put some precious live mysids in with the eggs.

The first few weeks can be heartbreaking and remember that not all of the babies would be surviving out in the wild. Can you imagine if every baby survived for each female that laid 200+ eggs? Well, now that I think of it, I wouldn't mind having that many cuttles in the world...

I have yet to see the one hatched cuttle eat anything but he's still alive after 6 days so maybe he is. Then again, his yolk can be sustaining him right now.

I hope to find a package of live mysids when I get home today and I am going to break them into a few different groups and see in which environment they live the longest. I'm questioning the idea of putting a bunch into the breeding net with the existing cuttle, though. I would LOVE to store a lot of them in there but I read somewhere (not sure where) that if the cuttles become too accustomed to the food being there all the time they get callous to it or so accustomed to it that they don't see it as food anymore? Anyone else remember hearing or reading that?
Sue

 

[DWhatley]

Sue,
CG was referring to a study that showed food items viewed before hatching resulted in a preference for that food after hatching in officinalis. A couple people have casually experimented with this idea and bandensis but without obvious results. You are correct in remembering posts showing that too much live food as well as food being continuously available seems to have a negative effect on feeding after hatching.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

OK, so since I have one hatched cuttle in there and several unhatched eggs, I should put some in the breeding net but not too many.

Actually, I need someone to invent a tool that will help me spoon feed a cuttle. The same number of mysids I put in there yesterday are STILL in there. Tomorrow will be one week since he hatched.... this guy has GOT to start eating! On a separate (but negatively-related note), the remaining eggs are starting to shrivel. I know that can be a sign that they will hatch soon but I'm not optimistic. I see cuttles in the eggs but they have never moved or changed position or seem to have grown any since they arrived.

I'll try to stay positive, but with my son's wedding being 9 days away and everyone's stress level (and emotions) high, I need a ray of sunshine from that tank!

Sue

 

[cuttlegirl]

Sometimes I suck the mysids up in a small eyedropper and slowly release them in front of the cuttle. I have also turned the eyedropper around, putting the narrow end in the bulb and gently released the mysids from the larger end of the eyedropper.